Judas Priest’s Rob Halford: I’ve Looked Up to Lemmy Kilmister for 50 Years

Right after Judas Priest icon Rob Halford accepted the ‘Lemmy’ Lifetime Achievement trophy at the 2017 Loudwire Music Awards, we caught up with him for an interview. In the PRS Backstage Artist Lounge, Halford spoke about how he’s looked up to Lemmy Kilmister since the late legend's Hawkwind days and even gave us a little info on Priest’s 2018 album, Firepower.

We named our Lifetime Achievement Award the ‘Lemmy’ so it would truly embody the spirit of rock 'n' roll. Needless to say, Rob Halford was a perfect first recipient and the fact that we named it for the Motorhead legend meant a lot to Priest’s singer.

“It’s a wonderful gesture from Loudwire to attach Lemmy’s name to the award,” Halford decrees. “When it comes to achieving all the stuff that you do, as I said in the acceptance speech, you owe so much to so many people around you in music. I knew Lemmy from the Hawkwind days, so I’ve always kind of looked up to Lemmy in terms of the great figurehead of the rock 'n' roll world.

2018 will be a massive year for Judas Priest, as the metal gods will tour North America once again in support of Firepower. “For me, when I listen to it now, it’s got elements of Sad Wings of Destiny, of Painkiller, or British Steel, but in it’s own right, it’s got it’s own legs to stand on. This is our 18th studio album and I think each Priest album that we’ve ever made has had a very defining character about its content. I think we’ve got that with Firepower, definitely.”